LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – After falling out of first place in the Western Athletic Conference last weekend, UT Arlington hopes to get back on track against New Mexico State this weekend. The three-game league series opens Friday at Presley Askew Field with a 7 p.m. CT first pitch.

The Mavericks (22-19) fell out of first place in the WAC after dropping two of three at Seattle U. UT Arlington is 10-5 in conference, trailing first-place CSU Bakersfield (11-4) by a game. The Aggies (23-19, 8-7) are also in the hunt for a top seed in the league tournament next month in Grand Prairie.

"It's going to be a tough weekend," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "It's tough to play here. We're in fight for first place, but it's more important we play well and not worry about the standings. We need to try to win the series here and then we get home for a couple of weekends."

UT Arlington split two midweek games since the Seattle U series. The Mavericks fell 10-7 at Sam Houston State before coming back with a 5-4 walk-off win at home over UALR. The Aggies fell 6-1 at Texas Tech on Tuesday.

UT Arlington is traveling to Las Cruces for the first time to. The Mavs are 2-1 all-time against the Aggies, with two wins in Arlington and a loss in Los Vegas.

The Mavs currently feature five batters that are hitting above .300, with Matt Shortall leading the way at .374. Shortall also leads the team in home runs with four bombs. The UT Arlington bullpen has been solid, as the Mavericks are 15-0 when leading after the sixth inning.

Friday's starter Brad Vachon is 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA and is making his 10th start. Zach Thompson, Saturday's scheduled starter, is coming off a complete game six-hitter in a 3-1 win over Seattle U.